Internal-combustion engine



May 27, 1952 STRAUSS 2,598,461

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed June 26, 1947 Inventor THEODORE 0.STRAUSS TTorneys Patented May 27, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEINTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE T Theodore 0. Strauss, New York, N. Y. UApplication June 26, 1947, Serial No. 757,129

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to internal com-v bustion engines; Moreparticularly, it is concerned with relatively small, lightweight,engines of the type employed in small boats. Although not confined tomarine use, the invention has particular utility in that field.

A primary object of the invention is to provide an internal combustionengine in which the parts thereof most likely to become worn in use and,therefore, to require repair, may be removed as a unit from the placewhere the engine is installed and separated from the remaining elementsof the engine, without disturbing the latter.

Itis well-known that internal combustion engines are comprised ofrapidly moving, reciprocating parts, such as pistons, connecting rodsand bearings, which become worn in use, requiring repair andreplacement, and other parts, such as rotatable shafts, bearings, gears,flywheels and the like which seldom if ever require attention.

It is the primary object of the invention to so design the engine as toseparate the relatively light and relatively quickly wearing parts fromthe heavier, long-lived parts, so that the former, as B a unitaryassembly may be removed from the latter for repair and replacement,without disturbing the latter assembly.

Engines constructed in accordance with the present invention haveparticular utility in connection with small boats and the like situatedin remote places, far distant from repair facilities. The worn primemover assembly of an engine of this type, consisting of the cylinder,piston, connecting rod, crank shaft and crank case may be readilyremoved from the supporting base, gear box, flywheel and drive shaft,and shipped to the repair shop while, if desired, a spare assembly maybe quite readily mounted in place, for cooperation with the otherassembly, to the end that the boat need not be out of service.

In the accompanying drawing, an embodiment of the invention is shown,somewhat diagrammatically, in order to illustrate the principles of theinvention, and it must be understood that the invention is not limitedto the details thereof.

The single figure of the drawing is a side elevation and partialvertical section, with certain parts broken away, showing a singlecylinder twocycle engine in accordance with the invention.

A base casting Ill may be formed as an integral part of or be attachedto one-half H of a reduction gear housing l2, and may include a pair ofparallel upwardly projecting side frame members It and I4, havinginwardly turned upper marginal flanges l5, upon which the laterallyprojecting flange l6 of a unitary engine crank case l1 may be bolted, byfour bolts, two on each side, as indicated at l8 and I9, extending intothreaded bores formed in bosses l5, integral with flanges I5. Theposition of the crank case with respect to the base may be accuratelydetermined by dowel pins 20.

The engine further comprisesan upper crank case section 2| and acylinder 22, which may include air cooling fins 23 as is well understoodin theart. p

The constructional details of the crank case, cylinder, piston,connecting rod and crank shaft, and the bearings associatedtherewithform no part of the present invention and, therefore, are notillustrated in the accompanying drawing.

A cylindrical enlargement 25, projecting rearwardly from the crank casemay support the circular casing 26 of the ignition timer of a wellknowntype. By shifting the timer handle 21, circumferentially around the axisof the extension, the speed of the engine may be controlled, as well asits direction of rotation.

A coupling 30,- flxed on the end of the engine crank shaft includes anenlarged, integral disk 3|, having a socket 32 formed in its peripheryand extending entirely through the disk.

Any suitable form of carburetor may be employed, as is well understoodin the art, and may be mounted upon the crank case I! of the engine or,if desired, upon the base (0.

The reduction gear housing l2 includes a second section 35, secured byscrews 36 to the first section II, and the two sections are shaped toreceive two pairs of aligned ball bearing assemblies 31, 38, 39, 40. Astub shaft 45, journalled in the bearings 31, 38 carries on its forwardend a coupling element 46 having a projection 41, received in the socket32 in nicely fitting relation. The coupling element may be secured tothe shaft 45 by a suitable screw 48 and key 49.

A flywheel 50, mounted on the rear end of the stub shaft 45, is securedin place by a cap screw 5| and key 52.

The shaft 45, intermediate its ends is formed with a relatively smallspur gear section 53, in mesh with a larger gear 54, fixed on a shaft55, journalled in the bearings 39 and 40. The shaft 55 may be connectedby a coupling 56 to the propeller shaft of the boat or to any otherpower take-oil device.

As a result of this construction, the heavy parts of the engine and theparts least subject to damaging wear, such as the reduction gearhousing, reduction gears, the bearings therefor, the flywheel and thepower take-01f shaft are all substantially permanently mounted in theboat or other place where they are adapted to operate. Hence, theyconstitute a substantially permanently mounted assembly.

The other, lighter parts, which are subject to wear and which must berepaired from time to time are, readily removable, as a. unitaryassembly, from the supporting base, by simply removing the fourattaching bolts, two of which are shown at 8 and I9, removing the dowels20, and separating the coupling elements 3| and 48. The carburetor andsimilar parts may beremoved with the removable assembly. or left. uponthe base, depending upon the manner in which they are mounted.

The invention is not confined to single cylinder two-cycle engines, butincludes all types coming within the scope of the appended claims andtheir equivalents.

1 rslaim:

- -l=. -An internal combustion engine comprising two unitary-assemblies,one assembly comprising a cylinder,- a piston a crank case, and a crankshaft'permanently journalled in said case and the-other assemblycomprising a reduction gear casing, shafts journalled in thecasingandprojecting outwardly therefrom and a flywheel on "an outwardlyprojecting. portion of one of said shaftsp and readily separable andconnectible coupling means on the crank shaft and an out- W'a'rcilyprojectingportion of the: last-mentioned sha;f=t,'-' whereby the firstassemblpmay be remo'ved from 'the se'cond fonrepair or replacement by asimilar assembly, without disturbing the secondass'embly.

2. An-internalcombustionengine comprising a fixed b'asa two unitaryassemblies mounted on the base and readily separableand connectiblecouplingnieans for saidassemblies, one assembly' comprising a cylinder,a' piston, a crankcase, and a crankshaft "journalled in thecrank case,allremovably mounted on" the base,and-the other assembly-comprisinga=reduction gear housing, a

stiib-shaf-t journalled in the housing, with its endsprojectingtherefrom, in axial-alignment with said'crank shaft, a flywheelon theend of said stub shaft remote from the first assembly, a second shaftjournalled in the housing and intermeshing gears on the stub shaft andthe second shaft, said coupling means comprising interengaging elementson the stub shaft and crank shaft respectively, disposed between theadjacent ends of the crank case and the gear housing, whereby the firstassembly may be removed as a unit from the base for repair andreplacement, without disturbing the second assembly.

3(An internal combustion engine comprising a base and two unitary,readily separable assemblies, one assembly comprising a cylinder, apiston, a crank case, a crank shaft journalled therein, an ignitiontimer, and a coupling element on one end of the crank shaft, the otherassembly comprising a reduction gear housing substantially permanentlysecured to said base, a gearshaft journalled in said housing inalignment with the crank shaft and having its ends projecting'outside ofthe housing, acoupling element on one end ofthegear shaft ininterengaging relationwith the first-mentioned coupling element, aflywheel on the'other end: of the gear shaft, a secondgear-shaftjournalledin thehousing, ofiset from the first, andintermeshing reduction gears, onthe gear shafts, whereby the firstassembly: mayv be readily remoyedr as -a unit from the. base for repairand: replacement, without dismrbing'the: secondassembly.

- THEODORE: 0. 1 STRAUSS".

REFERENCES CITED The following referencesnare of record in the file 'ofthis pat'en'tz UNITED STATES, PATENTS Number Name Date 1,447,371-Andrewseta1; L-Mari 6; 1923 1,868,130 'Bauer et al. July 19, I9322-,Ql8fl9 l -Kre'mser ;Gct. 291 1935 2,076,015 Bro'ome Apr;- 6-, 19372,170,548 Ghristian f-Aug.-22-, 1 939 Q EIGN EH 'IEN .S;

Number Country Date 131,232 Great Britainaflau-Aug 21 19 19

